Des Moines airport must fill in runway chasm

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — Des Moines airport officials say they expect repairs to be finished next week on a chasm that’s been opened up across a runway.

Airport executive director, Kevin Foley told The Des Moines Register (http://dmreg.co/1r8xH2P ) that airport workers noticed a hole in late July. A broken stormwater line had caused a washout, creating a cavity under the runway. Workers dug up the entire section of pipe to ensure no other cavities exist.

The chasm is about 22 feet wide and 150 feet long, running diagonally across the northwest-southeast runway.

Foley says no flights have been delayed by the repairs, which are expected to cost about $250,000.